In 2011, a then-new cigar company named Crowned Heads released its debut line, Four Kicks, inspired by the Kings of Leon song of the same name. In the dozen years since, the company’s offerings have exploded and now include regular production lines, limited editions and many exclusive creations.

Three years ago, Crowned Heads announced it was releasing a variant of its first creation named Four Kicks Capa Especial which was one of the test blends developed when the company was working on the original Four Kicks. Jon Huber and Mike Conder, Crowned Heads’ co-founders, worked with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. to develop the blend and narrowed it down to three finalists: two blends that used a habano wrapper and one that used a Sumatra wrapper. While Perez-Carrillo liked the Sumatra version, Huber and Conder liked a habano blend better, which is what was selected for the original Four Kicks.

In 2020, Crowned Heads released three different vitolas of the Sumatra version of Four Kicks using the Capa Especial name: a 5 x 50 robusto, a 5 5/8 x 46 Corona Gorda and a 6 x 54 Sublime. The line’s first limited edition debuted the next year, a 5 1/2 x 50 perfecto named Àguilas that was limited to 3,000 Boxes of 12 Cigars.

Last November, the second limited edition began shipping, a 7 1/2 x 38 lancero named Four Kicks Capa Especial Lancero LE 2022. While it is a limited release, the blend is the same as the regular Four Kicks Capa Especial that debuted in 2020; specifically, it is covered in an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper and incorporates a Nicaraguan binder as well as filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. As is the case with the original Four Kicks, the Four Kicks Capa Especial is rolled at Perez-Carrillo’s Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. factory located in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic.

“We’re extremely excited to bring the Capa Especial Lancero to market,” said Huber in a press release. “The lancero is such a stories vitola and it’s been absent from our portfolio for over four years; it’s an exquisite expression of the Four Kicks Capa Especial blend.”

The lancero is the fifth vitola for the line, which now includes three regular production sizes as well as another limited edition perfecto vitola known as the Àguilas that was released last year.

Note: The following shows the various Four Kicks Capa Especial vitolas. Some of these cigars may have been released after this post was originally published. The list was last updated on Feb. 26, 2023.

90 Overall Score

I have been a fan of the Four Kicks line since it debuted in 2011, and the switch to an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper for the Four Kicks Capa Especial line made a good thing even better. There is quite a bit going on in the lancero vitola, including main flavors of popcorn, cedar and cocoa nibs and almonds that show up at various points, not to mention a sadly fleeting mint note in the second third and a persistent and distinct maple syrup sweetness on the retrohale. Throw in the very good overall construction and wonderful balance across all three cigars that I smoked, and the result is another winner from Crowned Heads.

The MSRP for the Four Kicks Capa Especial Lancero LE 2022 is set at $11.95 per cigar and it is limited to 2,500 boxes of 12 cigars that started shipping to retailers in November 2022.

  • Cigar Reviewed: Four Kicks Capa Especial Lancero Limited Edition 2022
  • Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
  • Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza S.A.
  • Wrapper: Ecuador (Sumatra)
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • Length: 7 1/2 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 38
  • Vitola: Lancero
  • MSRP: $11.95 (Box of 12, $143.40)
  • Release Date: November 2022
  • Number of Cigars Released: 2,500 Boxes of 12 Cigars (30,000 Total Cigars)
  • Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

From a visual perspective, the Four Kicks Capa Especial Lancero LE 2022 is covered in a very rustic-looking espresso brown wrapper that features just a bit of red to it as well as a noticeable amount of oil. One thing it has plenty of is mottling; in fact, there is so much mottling that it is almost the first thing I notice. All three cigars have a small pigtail cap and are nicely firm when squeezed, but after a physical inspection, it is hard to miss a large soft spot on one located about halfway between the secondary band and the foot band. A strong cedar note leads the aromas emanating from the wrappers, followed by cocoa nibs, espresso beans, gritty earth, barnyard and an interesting but non-specific candy sweetness. The foot features a distinct raisin sweetness up front, but additional notes of cedar, nutmeg, tobacco, stale bread, earth, black pepper and generic coffee beans. Finally, after a v-cut the cold draw includes flavors of sweet cedar, dark chocolate, sweet earth, cinnamon, creamy cashews and more raisin sweetness.

The cigar starts with what I can only describe as lively flavors, specifically light fruity sweetness, creamy cedar and black pepper. After about 10 puffs, the main flavor combination of plain popcorn and cedar take over the profile, followed by cinnamon, powdery cocoa nibs, earth, leather tack and a light vegetal note that reminds me of iceberg lettuce. There is also plenty of black pepper on the retrohale, but it is not near aggressive enough to push aside the distinct maple syrup sweetness that is also present. Flavor starts out at a solid medium, while both the strength and body lag behind at a point just below medium. In terms of construction, all three cigars feature excellent draws and copious amounts of thick smoke, but two of the three cigars get into enough trouble that I am forced to use my lighter to correct the burn lines to prevent larger issues.

A combination of cocoa nibs and cedar easily tops the profile of the Crowned Heads during the second third, with notes of salted almonds, toasted bread, earth, cinnamon and hay showing up at various points. While it does not stick around all that long, there is a distinct mint flavor present on the finish that bumps up the complexity of the entire profile nicely when it is around.  The maple syrup sweetness and black pepper have switched places on the retrohale, with the former easily outpacing the latter. Flavor increases to hit medium-full, body remains at just under medium and the strength increases enough to cross into the medium range. In terms of construction, both the draw and the smoke production continue to impress, but I do have to make a minor correction on the burn of one cigar.

Sadly, the mint note that was present on the finish in the second third is long gone by the time the final third begins, but the profile continues to excel with main flavors that now include almonds and semi-sweet dark chocolate. Additional flavors of saltine crackers, earth, coffee beans, dry straw and leather flit in and out, while the amount of black pepper and maple syrup sweetness on the retrohale has changed very little compared to what was present in the preceding third. Flavor is now at full and the body increases slightly to land at a solid medium, but the strength stays put at medium. One cigar gets into a bit of burn trouble early on that results in two quick corrections with my lighter-the other two cigars were fine in that regard-while the draws and smoke production for all three cigars worked in harmony until I put the buns down with a bit less than an inch remaining.

Final Notes

  • While the other two cigars I smoked for this review looked fine, the first cigar—incidentally, the same one that had the massive soft spot—looked like it had been squished flat: there was a very noticeable edge to the sides of the cigar and the foot was decidedly more oval than anything close to round.
  • Charlie recently noticed something similar to the above in his review of the Crowned Heads Azul y Oro.
  • I have tasted a very similar mint flavor in a number of different Sumatra-wrapped blends, including Tatuaje’s Little Boris and The Hyde.
  • The cigars smoked for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
  • Final smoking time averaged one hour and 35 minutes for all three cigars.
  • If you would like to purchase any of the Four Kicks Capa Especial Lancero Limited Edition 2022 cigars, site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Direct, Corona Cigar Co., Famous Smoke Shop and J.R. Cigar all have them in stock.
90 Overall Score

I have been a fan of the Four Kicks line since it debuted in 2011, and the switch to an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper for the Four Kicks Capa Especial line made a good thing even better. There is quite a bit going on in the lancero vitola, including main flavors of popcorn, cedar and cocoa nibs and almonds that show up at various points, not to mention a sadly fleeting mint note in the second third and a persistent and distinct maple syrup sweetness on the retrohale. Throw in the very good overall construction and wonderful balance across all three cigars that I smoked, and the result is another winner from Crowned Heads.

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Brooks Whittington

I have been smoking cigars for over eight years. A documentary wedding photographer by trade, I spent seven years as a photojournalist for the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star Telegram. I started the cigar blog SmokingStogie in 2008 after realizing that there was a need for a cigar blog with better photographs and more in-depth information about each release. SmokingStogie quickly became one of the more influential cigar blogs on the internet, known for reviewing preproduction, prerelease, rare, extremely hard-to-find and expensive cigars. I am a co-founder of halfwheel and now serve as an editor for halfwheel.